Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1887-09-23

the fact that the success or failure OF the
crops of this country will affect not only
the destiny OF those engaged in that
pursuit, but, to very great extent, it
will control the policy of the govern
mrnt of 90 millions Of people and, indt-
rccly, be beneficial or injurious to the
individual citizen. Upon the fertility
Of your soil; your science in husband
ry; the climate changes; the healthful-
ness of your grain, depends the pro-
duction and cost of the subsistence of
the people of this vast empire, and they
must also control and determine the bal
ance of trade between this and other
nations of the globe.
The importance OF this great national
industry may be more fully appreciated
by calling your attention TO few statis-
tics. The capital invested in farming
in this country aggregates the enor-
nous sum of s12, ,2lO, ,35l, ,40S. 90 as against
$2,79O, ,233, $4,000 employed in manufac-
turing. Its importance is still further
seen when we learn, that, of the Is mill
lions of people engaged in all kinds Of
occupation, we find that millions are
engaged in the pursuit of agriculture
alone. This estimate does not include
that large class of employees engaged
in the construction Of wagons, machine
", and implements used by the hus-
bandman. The value of the agricul-
tnral products in 1879 amounted to
$2,2l2 ,5G4, ,927. 90 and there was export
ed, in grain, tobacco, molasses and
sugar, products to the value of $751;
954, ,595. 90.
You lot only, my fellow cOuntrymen,
raised sufficient to feed, clOthe and house
30 millions of your own citizens, but
you sent to feed and clothe the citizens
of other nations, over 4S4 millions of
dollars worth of your products. These
figures are startling in their magnitude.
They represent an aggregation Of pro.
Guction and wealth that can find no
parallel in any other country on the
face of the globe. On which side Of the
ocean would the balance Of trade be to-
day, were it not for the surplus pro-
duced by the intelligent direction, the
persistent and unremitting toll of the
American farmer? But for the surplus
produced by your labor, we would be
the debtor TO other countries, and to
discharge that Indebtedness the coun-
try would be drained of its gold.
This but proves, my friends that in
this nation, sound, permanent and
stable financial policy must in the fu-
ture, as in the past, have for its founda-
ton, the Intelligence, the bone and the
sinew of the American agriculturist.
1t seems to me that | can read in the
faces of some of my friends from Jeffer-
son, the thoughts which are now agitat-
ing their minds: they are admitting
that this roseate view may be true when
applied to the country at large, but they
are ready to deny that Jefferson county
will measure up in its production, TO
the general average in the country.
That, by reason Of climate changes, n
deterioration of our lands; and for other
causes, we cannot afford to raise wheat
at the price it has been selling for dur
ing the last few years.
That the lands of this beautiful valley
have lost some of their original fertility,
which the skill of its agriculturists have
not been able to replace by the methods
of cultivation adopted, believe the tra-
ditions of the past will sustain; but
must deny that the statistics of the
country will sustain any such theory Of
deterioration from lS49 to the census Of
80, period of 30 years. have been
informed, by those who remember the
fact, that the crop of lS49 was a fair aver
age crop in this valley; and, taking the
crop of wheat for that year, we find that
the average crop in Berkeley was IL
bushels to the acre; in Clark 10 bushels,
and in Jefferson, II bushels. Compare
these figures with the census returns of
1880. The average yield per acre in the
United States was, of corn, 2S.l3 BUSH
els; of wheat, 1897 bushels. IL West
Virginia, of corn, 24.90 bushels; of
wheat, 1918. In Jefferson county, Of
corn, 80 bushels; Of wheat, 16 bushels.
If these facts are true, my friends, you
have no reason to feel discouraged be-
cause of any deterioration of your soil.
The beautiful rolling wheat lands of
Jefferson are as productive as they
were thirty years ago, and the average
per acre exceeds that Of the whole
country by almost four bushels, and is
six bushels in excess of the generaI
average in the state, and but one busbel
less per acre than the yield in 1850.
The dissatisfaction expressed uniyer-
sally by our farmers can not therefore
be caused by the inferior quality of the
land, nor eau it be attributed to the diff
ference in the price of wheat between
those two periods. We find the average
price of wheat in 1850 was 81 .291S per
bushel, and in 1880 sl.al. These are
New York quotations. Nor can the
discouragement result from the increase
in the cost Of transportation, as this is at
least one-half less than it was at that
period. If, therefore, it is not as profit
able crop, the fact must be attributed
TO one Of two causes. First, to the in
creased cost Of production, or secondly,
to the reduction in the price of the arti-
Gle. To solve the first Of these ques-
tions satisfactorily, and to ascertain
accurately the cost Of production, has
been found impossible by our ablest